THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Painted  from  life,  1864-65,  by  Mr.  G.  W.  F.  Travers. 
Owned  by  Mr.  George  Prince. 


Abraham  Lincoln  Today 
A  War-Time  Tribute 


Abraham  Lincoln  Today 

A  War-Time  Tribute 

BEING  the  LINCOLN  DAY  CONVOCATION  of  the 
UNIVERSITY  of  ILLINOIS 

i  g  i  8 


by 
WILLIAM  CHAUNCY  LANGDON 

ivtth  the  Addresses  by 

PRESIDENT  EDMUND  J.JAMES 
of  the  University  of  Illinois 

and 

CAPTAIN    FERNAND   BALDENSPERGER 
of  the  French  Army 


Published  by  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
Urbana,  1918 


Copyright,  iQi8 
By  WILLIAM  CHAUNCY  LANG  DON 

and  the 

UNIVERSITY  of  ILLINOIS 
All  Rights  Reserved 


Convocation  Edition,  February,  !Ql8 

University  Edition,  -        May,  1918 


Pemtagrapf)  Printing  &  Stationtrp  Co. 

231oominston.  3Uhtois 


£467 
,7 

133 

Table  of  Contents 


Page 

The  Persons  of  the  Convocation  .     .       9 
The  Lincoln  Day  Convocation     .     .     11 

The  Lincoln  Day  Address 

by  President  Edmund  J.  James      24 

Lincoln  as  Regarded  by  the  People  of 
France,  Address  by  Captain  Fer- 
nand  Baldensperger  ....  36 


Appendix: 

On  Forever,  Illinois! 

The  Program  of  the  Convocation 
5 


n^  w/i 


List  of  Illustrations 


Page 
Abraham  Lincoln  .  Frontispiece 

The  Portrait  Painted  by  G.  W.  F.  Travers  in  1864 

The  Convocation     .  .  .9 

America  and  Illinois      .  .  14 

Abraham  Lincoln      .  .  .19 

The  Lambert  Ambrotype,  1860 

The  Central  Group       .  .  22 

President  Edmund  Janes  James  24 

Captain  Fernand  Baldensperger  35 

Sons  of  France  and  Illinois  40 


The  Persons  of  the  Convocation 


THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILLINOIS 

THE  GUEST  OF  HONOR 

CAPTAIN  FERNAND  BALDENSPERGER 

OF  THE  FRENCH  ARMY 

THE  DEANS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
THE  UNIVERSITY  WAR  COMMITTEE 
THE  UNIVERSITY  COMMANDANT 

THE  COMMANDANT  OF  THE  UNITED   STATES 
SCHOOL  OF  MILITARY  AERONAUTICS 

AMERICA 
ILLINOIS 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 
FRANCE 

THE   FACULTIES  AND   STUDENTS  OF   THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Abraham   Lincoln   Today 

A    War-Time   Tribute 


On  the  platform  of  the  Auditorium  of 
the  University  of  Illinois  is  raised  a  dais, 
on  which  are  three  seats.  In  front  at 
either  side  are  groups  of  seats. 

The  organ  plays  the  Lincoln  Music, 
composed  by  John  Lawrence  Erb.  From 
one  side  there  enter  the  President  of  the 

University  of  Illinois ,  the  Guest  of  Honor, 
and  the  Deans  of  the  University  of  Illinois. 
From  the  other  side  there  enter  the  War 
Committee  of  the  University,  the  University 
Commandant^  the  Commandant  of  the 

United  States  School  of  Military  Aero 
nautics,  and  the  Lincoln  Day  Committee. 
They  take  seats  at  the  front.  The  Faculties 
and  the  Students  of  the  University  are 
seated  in  the  Auditorium.  When  the  music 
comes  to  an  end,  the  President  of  the  Uni 
versity  rises. 

11 


PRESIDENT: 

Men,  Women  of  the  University, 
My  fellow-members  of  the  Faculty, 
And  Students  in  these  various  Colleges: 
This  is  the  day  whereon  the  greatest  son 
Of  Illinois  was  born, — that  kindly  man 
Who  in  his  single-hearted  self  summed  up 
The  best  of  all  that — North,  and  South, 

and  East, 

And  West — we  strive  to  be;  and  there 
fore  who 
Has  well  been  called  "The  First  Ameri- 


can.': 


On  February  twelfth,  in  eighteen  nine, 
Near  Hodgensville,  Kentucky,  on  a  farm, 
Was  Abraham  Lincoln  born. 

Wherefore  this  day 
In  all  the  States  by  law  is  duly  held 
In  honor  and  in  grateful  memory, 
And  I  today  as  President  have  called 
The  University  of  Illinois 
In  worthy  Convocation,  fittingly 
To  recognize  this  anniversary. 
12 


As  the  President  returns  to  his  seat^ 
all  the  people  join  in  singing  four  stanzas 
of  the  State  Song, 

ILLINOIS 

By  thy  rivers  gently  flowing,  Illinois,  Illinois, 
O'er  thy  prairies  verdant  growing,  Illinois,  Illinois 

Comes  an  echo  on  the  breeze, 

Rustling  through  the  leafy  trees, 
And  its  mellow  tones  are  these,  Illinois,  Illinois! 

Thou   didst   hear   thy   country   calling,   Illinois, 
Illinois, 

Mid  the  din  of  war  appalling,  Illinois,  Illinois, 
Then  thy  courage  and  thy  will 
Rose  each  heart  to  fire  and  thrill; 

Brave  and  loyal  thou  are  still,  Illinois,  Illinois! 

Not  without  thy  wondrous  story,  Illinois,  Illinois! 
Can  be  writ  the  nation's  glory,  Illinois,  Illinois, 

On  the  record  of  thy  years 

Abram  Lincoln's  name  appears, 
Grant  and  Logan  and  our  tears,  Illinois,  Illinois! 

While  thy  glory  we  are  singing,  Illinois,  Illinois, 
Loyal  homage  to  thee  bringing,  Illinois,  Illinois, 

Let  us  praise  His  Holy  name 

Through  Whose  might  all  good  we  claim, 
Who  has  wrought  thy  wondrous  fame,  Illinois 

Illinois! 

During  the  first  stanza  the  State  of 
Illinois  comes  in  attended  by  a  military 
escort.  She  is  robed  in  a  gown  of  gold^ 
with  overvesture  and  cloak  of  Statehood  blue > 
and  carries  the  State  Flag  of  Illinois.  She 

13 


goes  up  and  stands  before  the  right  hand  of 
the  two  lower  seats  on  the  dais.     At  the 
conclusion   of  the  State  Song  she  reaches 
forth  her  hand  with  devoted  pride. 

ILLINOIS: 

Ever  at  sound  of  his  majestic  name 
Swiftly  I  come  across  the  prairies,  far 
Golden  with  corn,  or  blizzard-swept  and 

white 
With  winter  snow.     So  now  my  soul  is 

here 

With  you  who  gratefully  remember  him, 
My  greatest  son.  Observant,  kindly,  firm, 
Forgetful  of  himself  and  private  ends, 
Most  jocular  when  most  heart-sunk  in 

sadness, 

Strong  he  lifted  up  the  grievous  weight, 
The  fiery  burden  of  distracted  times, 
And  on  his  high,  broad  shoulders  bore  it. 

What  woman  does  not  watch  with  loving 
pride 

The  stalwart  son  of  her  young  mother 
hood! 

With  fearful  ecstacy  she  sees  him  grow, 

Outstrip  her  fondest  hopes,  her  best  laid 
plans, 

And  stride  along,  a  giant  among  his 
fellows. 

Sol.  ' 

From  out  the  shelter  of  my  care  he  went, 

14 


AMERICA  AND  ILLINOIS 


Beyond  the  waving  limits  of  the  corn. 
He  heard  his  Country's  call;  he  went;  he 

served; 
He   wrought   for   her   victoriously:    and 

died. 

America!    Thou  Spirit  Glorious! 
Mother  of  all  the  States!    Transcendent 

Soul, 

Who  everywhere  art  present,  urging  us 
To  ever  nobler  heights  of  sacrifice 
And  service,  and  most  present  only  there 
Where  thine  ideals  most  are  realized, 
My  son  was  dear  to  you!     At  thought  of 

him 

Thy  face,  like  mine,  gleams  forth  its  lov 
ing  pride: 

For  truly  was  he  thy  son,  as  well  as  mine! 
Reveal  thyself  among  us,  tokening 
Thy  love  for  him  whose  day  we  recognize! 

As  Illinois  stretches  forth  her  hand  in 
appeal,  the  Music  plays  THE  STAR- 
SPANGLED  BANNER.  Down  the  central 
aisle  comes  the  figure  of  America,  at 
tended  by  a  military  escort.  She  is  robed 
in  white,  with  a  golden  girdle  and  a  golden 
Liberty  cap.  She  carries  the  American 
Flag  in  her  right  hand  and  wears  the  Shield 
of  the  United  States  on  her  left  shoulder. 
She  goes  up  the  steps  onto  the  platform  and 
on  up  the  steps  of  the  dais,  taking  her  place 

15 


in  front  of  the  center  seat.  All  the  people 
of  the  Convocation  join  in  singing  two 
stanzas  of 

THE  STAR-SPANGLED  BANNER 

Oh!  say,  can  you  see  by  the  dawn's  early  light, 
What  so  proudly  we  hailed  at  the  twilight's  last 

gleaming, 
Whose  broad  stripes  and  bright  stars  through  the 

perilous  fight, 
O'er  the  ramparts  we  watched  were  so  gallantly 

streaming, 
And  the  rocket's  red  glare,  the  bombs  bursting 

in    air, 
Gave  proof  through  the  night  that  our  flag  was 

still  there. 

Oh!  say,  does  that  Star-Spangled  Banner  yet  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the 

brave  ? 

Oh!  thus  be  it  ever  when  freemen  shall  stand 
Between  their  loved  homes  and  wild  war's  deso 
lation; 
Blest  with  victory  and  peace,  may  the  heaven 

rescued  land 
Praise  the  power  that  hath  made  and  preserved 

us  a  nation. 

Then  conquer  we  must,  when  our  cause  it  is  just, 
And  this  be  our  motto, — "In  God  is  our  trust!" 
And  the  Star-Spangled  Banner  in  triumph  shall 

wave 

O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the 
brave! 

America  stands  in  front  of  her  seat, 
and  Illinois  remains  at  the  foot  oj  the  dais. 

16 


AMERICA: 

I  come. 

For  highly  do  I  honor  Lincoln's  name: 

Through  all  the  States  that  gather  neath 

the  Flag, 
Confederate   South   as   well    as   Federal 

North, 
His  name  is  held  in  deepest  reverence. 

But  not  in  mere  commemoration  now 
I  come.  The  Flag  is  called  across  the  seas. 
To  lead  its  hosts  to  fight  for  Liberty: 
In  peril  is  the  Freedom  of  the  World. 
Arise!     I  call, — America!     The  Flag 
Advances!  See,  it  summons  you  to  come! 
Yes,  every  man  and  woman,  every  child 
Is  needed  to  redeem  the  stricken  earth, 
Some  fighting  with  our  Allies  there  in 

France. 
Some  working  to  support  them  here  at 

home. 

You  honor  Lincoln.  Will  you  follow  him  ? 
What  would  his  answer  be?  The  world 

cannot 
Endure  half  slave,  half  free.     Still  do  his 

words 

Set  fire  to  the  deeds  of  Illinois  ? 
Still  does  his  spirit  lead  you  all,  as  then? 
Or  does  there  lurk  in  Illinois  a  soul, 
Although  but  one,  that  has  not  caught 

the  fire 

17 


Of  his  imperial  soul, — one  poor,  mean  soul 
That  would  not  claim  a  share  in  sacrifice, 
But  fatten  safely  here  in  greedy  debt 
For  life  and  all  he  has  to  British  blood, 
To  Belgian  courage,  to  Canadian  daring 
And  the  sacrifices  France  has  made? 
Fate  had  its  ruthless  way,  and  Lincoln 

died; 

But  does  his  mighty  spirit  live  here  still 
Among   the   sons   and   daughters   of  his 

State? 

ILLINOIS: 

His  spirit  lives  here  still! 

AMERICA: 

Choose  well  your  words! 
The  accolade  of  sacrifice  straight  falls 
On  all  who  claim  them  heirs  of  Lincoln's 
name. 

ILLINOIS: 

We  call  upon  him  now  to  witness  that 

We    consecrate    ourselves,    beneath    the 

Flag, 

To  Liberty  and  to  its  rescue! — 
Oh    Lincoln,    spirit    freed    from    earth's 

strict  bonds, 

Speak  once  again  thy  words  of  fire,  for  us, 
And  once  again  the  State  of  Illinois 
Lead  with  her  Sister  States  to  stake  their 

all 

For  Freedom  and  the  Rights  of  all  Man 
kind! 

18 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 
THE  LAMBERT  AMBROTYPE,  1860 

From  the  Photograph  in  the  Home  of  Lincoln,  in  Springfield, 
by  courtesy  of  Mrs.  Albert  S.  Edwards. 


Again  the  Organ  plays  the  Lincoln 
Music.  From  one  side  Lincoln  enters. 
Illinois,  the  first  to  see  him,  raises  her  flag. 
Lincoln  removing  his  high  stove-pipe  hat, 
bows.  The  people  on  the  platform  rise. 
Lincoln  advances  a  few  steps,  then  turns 
and  bows,  paying  his  tribute  to  America. 
He  then  stands  motionless,  his  hat  in  his 
hand,  until  the  music  is  finished.  Then 
he  raises  his  hand  and  speaks.  Illinois 
remains  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  dais. 

LINCOLN: 

I  cannot  fly  from  my  thoughts;  my 
solicitude  for  this  great  country  follows 
me  wherever  I  go. 

Our  popular  government  has  often 
been  called  an  experiment.  Two  points 
in  it  our  people  have  already  settled — the 
successful  establishing  and  the  successful 
administering  of  it.  One  still  remains — 
its  successful  maintenance  against  a  for 
midable  attempt  to  overthrow  it.  Such 
will  be  a  great  lesson  of  peace,  teaching 
all  the  folly  of  being  the  beginners  of  a 
war. 

This  is  essentially  a  people's  contest, 
and  this  issue  embraces  more  than  the 
fate  of  these  United  States.  It  presents 
to  the  whole  family  of  man  the  question 
whether  a  constitutional  republic,  or  a 
democracy — a  government  of  the  people 

19 


by  the  same  people — can  or  can  not 
maintain  its  territorial  integrity  against 
its  foes.  It  forces  us  to  ask,  Is  there  in 
all  republics  this  inherent  and  fatal  weak 
ness?  Must  a  government  of  necessity 
be  too  strong  for  the  liberties  of  its  own 
people,  or  too  weak  to  maintain  its  own 
existence  ? 

Fellow-citizens,  we  can  not  escape 
history.  We  will  be  remembered  in  spite 
of  ourselves.  No  personal  significance  or 
insignificance  can  spare  one  or  another 
of  us.  The  fiery  trial  through  which  we 
pass  will  light  us  down  in  honor  or  dis 
honor  to  the  latest  generation.  We,  even 
we  here,  hold  the  power  and  bear  the 
responsibility.  We  shall  nobly  save  or 
meanly  lose  the  last  best  hope  of  earth. 

We  have  been  the  recipients  of  the 
choicest  bounties  of  Heaven;  we  have 
been  preserved  these  many  years  in  peace 
and  prosperity;  we  have  grown  in  num 
bers,  wealth,  and  power  as  no  other 
nation  has  ever  grown.  But  we  have 
forgotten  God.  We  have  forgotten  the 
gracious  hand  which  preserved  us  in 
peace  and  multiplied  and  enriched  and 
strengthened  us,  and  we  have  vainly 
imagined,  in  the  deceitfulness  of  our 
hearts,  that  all  these  blessings  were  pro 
duced  by  some  superior  wisdom  and  vir 
tue  of  oiir  own.  Intoxicated  with  un- 

20 


broken  success,  we  have  become  too  self- 
sufficient  to  feel  the  necessity  of  redeem 
ing  and  preserving  grace,  too  proud  to 
pray  to  the  God  that  made  us. 

It  behooves  us  then  to  humble  our 
selves  before  the  offended  Power,  to  con 
fess  our  national  sins,  and  to  pray  for 
clemency  and  forgiveness.  It  is  for  us 
here  to  be  dedicated  to  the  great  task 
remaining  before  us;  that  we  here  highly 
resolve  that  this  nation  shall  have  a  new 
birth  of  freedom;  and  that  government 
of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the 
people,  shall  not  perish  from  the  earth. 
And  having  thus  chosen  our  course,  with 
out  guile  and  with  pure  purpose,  let  us 
renew  our  trust  in  God  and  go  forward 
without  fear  and  with  manly  hearts.  Let 
us  have  faith  that  right  makes  might, 
and  in  that  faith,  let  us,  to  the  end,  dare 
to  do  our  duty  as  we  understand  it. 

Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently  do  we 
pray,  that  this  mighty  scourge  of  war 
may  speedily  pass  away.  Yet,  if  God 
wills  that  it  continue,  as  was  said  three 
thousand  years  ago,  so  still  it  must  be 
said,  "The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are 
true  and  righteous  altogether." 

With  malice  toward  none,  with 
charity  toward  all,  with  firmness  in  the 
right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let 
us  strive  on  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in, 

21 


to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds,  to  care 
for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle 
and  for  his  widow  and  his  orphan,  to  do 
all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just 
and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves  and 
with  all  nations. 

I  now  leave,  not  knowing  when,  or 
whether  ever  I  may  return,  with  a  task 
before  me  greater  than  that  which  rested 
upon  Washington.  Without  the  aid  of 
that  Divine  Being  who  ever  attended 
him,  we  cannot  succeed.  With  that  as 
sistance  we  cannot  fail.  Trusting  in  Him 
who  can  go  with  me  and  remain  with  you, 
and  be  everywhere  for  good,  let  us  con 
fidently  hope  that  all  will  yet  be  well.  To 
His  care  commending  you,  as  I  hope  in 
your  prayers  you  will  commend  me,  I 
bid  you,  friends  and  neighbors,  an  affec 
tionate  farewell. 

Lincoln  bows  in  tribute  to  America 
and  departs.  The  Organ  at  once  plays  and 
all  the  people  rise  and  sing 

THE  BATTLE  HYMN  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of 

the  Lord; 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes 

of  wrath  are  stored! 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  lightning  of  His  terrible 

swift  sword: 

His  truth  is  marching  on! 
Glory!  Glory!  Hallelujah!  His  truth  is 
marching  on! 
22 


I  have  seen  Him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred 

circling  camps; 
They  have  builded  Him  an  altar  in  the  evening 

dews  and  damps; 
I  can  read  His  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and 

flaring  lamps; 
His  day  is  marching  on! 
Glory!     Glory!    Hallelujah! 
His  day  is  marching  on! 


He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never 

call  retreat; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His 

judgment  seat; 
Oh,  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him!  Be  jubilant, 

my  feet! 

Our  God  is  marching  on! 
Glory!     Glory!    Hallelujah! 
Our  God  is  marching  on! 


In  the  beauty  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  across 

the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  His  bosom  that  transfigures  you 

and  me; 
As  He  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make 

men  free, 

While  God  is  marching  on! 
Glory!     Glory!    Hallelujah! 
While  God  is  marching  on! 


President  Edmund  Janes  James  of 
the  University  of  Illinois  then  rises  and 
delivers 

23 


THE  LINCOLN  DAY  ADDRESS 

Men  and  Women  of  Illinois: 

We  are  gathered  here  today  to  do 
honor  to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lin 
coln.  Some  one  has  said  that  you  may 
judge  a  nation  well  by  its  heroes — the 
men  in  whom  it  sees  incarnated  its  ideas 
and  its  ideals. 

If  this  be  true,  and  who  will  not 
agree  that  it  contains  much  truth,  we 
Americans  are  peculiarly  fortunate. 
George  Washington  and  Abraham  Lin 
coln  are  by  common  consent  enrolled  not 
only  among  the  greatest  Americans  but 
among  the  greatest  men  of  all  time  and 
all  nations — and  we  selected  them  for  the 
greatest  honor  and  the  highest  office 
within  our  gift  to  confer. 

It  has  been  said  that  in  the  wide 
domain  of  European  civilization  the 
birthday  of  no  other  man  than  George 
Washington  has  been  so  long  celebrated 
or  by  more  people.  This  is  a  significant 
fact  and  one  of  which  we  Americans  may 
well  be  proud. 

It  is  also  certain  that  no  name  is 
more  widely  known  or  more  deeply  re 
vered  among  all  lovers  of  liberty  on  the 
the  face  of  the  earth  than  that  of  Abra 
ham  Lincoln.  Surely  this  may  fill  our 

24 


PRESIDENT  EDMUND  JANES  JAMES 


hearts  with  pride  and  joy,  for  he  was  of 
our  very  household.  He  rode  the  circuit 
of  which  Urbana  was  a  part.  He  prac 
ticed  law  in  this  city.  He  got  his 
growth,  physical,  intellectual  and  moral 
here  in  this  cornbelt.  His  career  shows 
how  unimportant  to  the  really  great  man 
the  training  of  the  schools  is.  He  passed 
much  of  his  youth  and  early  manhood  in 
the  smallest  and  meanest  of  frontier 
towns  surrounded  by  the  most  sordid 
conditions  of  life,  hardly  able  to  earn,  I 
will  not  say  a  decent  living,  but  even 
enough  to  keep  soul  and  body  together. 
And  yet  when  he  came  to  stand,  I  will 
not  say  before  Kings,  but  among  Kings, 
he  towered  in  moral  majesty  head  and 
shoulders  above  them  all. 

We  have  a  special  love  for  him  here 
in  this  institution.  As  President  of  the 
United  States  he  signed  the  bill  out  of 
which  this  institution  grew  and  his 
memory  will  abide  with  us.  The  beau 
tiful  structure  across  the  way  is  named 
in  his  honor  and  ranks  among  the  im 
portant  monuments  of  this  country  to 
his  memory. 

As  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Legis 
lature  he  stood  for  education  and  the  up 
building  of  educational  institutions. 

But  after  all  his  real  longing  was  to 
aid  in  the  spread  of  freedom  and  liberty. 

25 


One  of  his  earliest  resolutions  and  vows, 
made  to  himself  it  is  true  but  none  the 
less  sacred  for  that,  was  that  if  the 
chance  ever  came  he  would  deal  the  in 
stitution  of  African  Slavery  in  the  coun 
try  a  death  blow.  Before  he  died  he  did 
this  and  in  doing  so  gave  a  new  meaning 
among  us  to  the  divine  doctrine  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

He  is  ours  in  a  special  sense  for  what 
he  did  for  this  and  similar  institutions; 
for  what  he  did  for  this  commonwealth; 
for  what  he  did  for  this  nation;  for  what 
he  did  for  humanity;  and  we  should  be 
lifted  into  new  and  higher  regions  of  self- 
sacrifice  and  devoted  to  interests  of 
humanity  by  the  contemplation  of  his 
character. 

We  are  fortunate  today  to  have  with 
us  as  a  guest  from  one  of  the  allied  coun 
tries  a  distinguished  scholar  who  is  going 
to  tell  us  how  this  man,  Abraham  Lin 
coln,  this  rail-splitter,  this  country  law 
yer,  this  member  of  the  lower  house  of 
the  Illinois  Legislature,  this  son  of  the 
cornbelt  without  the  benefit  of  the 
schools  or  colleges  or  universities,  with  no 
social  influence,  with  little  social  grace- 
seems  to  the  highly  cultivated  society  of 
the  most  highly  cultivated  of  modern 
nations. 

But  I  can  not  let  this  opportunity 

26 


pass  without  expressing  our  warm  feelings 
of  consideration  for  the  country  he  repre 
sents.  Such  an  occasion,  Sir,  brings  with 
peculiar  vividness  to  the  mind  of  every 
student  of  human  history  the  pre-eminent 
services  of  the  French  nation  to  that 
common  civilization,  which  is  the  most 
precious  heritage  of  us  all.  For  five 
hundred  years  France  has  been  the  center 
of  Europe  in  a  sense  which  can  be  asserted 
of  no  other  country.  She  has  been  the 
schoolmaster  of  the  world  in  all  that 
makes  for  culture  and  refinement.  The 
debt  of  the  modern  world  to  France  is 
reflected  in  every  aspect  of  modern  life, 
thought,  taste  and  action. 

Every  department  of  human  achieve 
ment  has  fallen  in  turn  under  her  domi 
nation,  and  at  times  all  of  them  together. 
No  other  nation  has  led  on  so  many  dif 
ferent  ways.  She  has  entered  every  road 
leading  to  the  heights  of  human  effort, 
and  has  entered  only  to  lead.  Arms, 
politics,  art,  literature,  science,  industry 
—in  all  she  has  been  equally  pre-eminent 
— in  all  she  has  laid  humanity  under 
lasting  obligations.  We  deem  it,  Sir,  a 
great  pleasure  to  acknowledge  thus  our 
debt  to  this  wonderful  people  and  to  con 
gratulate  you,  Sir,  as  the  representative 
of  this  nation,  upon  the  long  line  of  gen 
erals,  statesmen,  thinkers,  artists,  litter- 

27 


ateurs,  who  have  worked  out  these  great 
results.  They  belong,  not  merely  to 
France,  or  to  Europe,  but  to  the  whole 
world,  and  their  deeds  are  a  common 
heritage  of  which  we  are  all  proud,  and 
to  which  we  are  all  heirs  and  joint-heirs 
with  you. 

But  it  is  not  merely  as  citizens  of 
the  world,  as  joint-heirs  in  this  common 
heritage  to  which  your  people  have  con 
tributed  so  much  that  we  gladly  welcome 
you  here  today.  As  men,  as  citizens  of 
sister  republics,  devoted  to  the  same  high 
ideal  of  human  welfare,  we  welcome  you 
as  the  representative  of  workers  and  co- 
workers  in  a  common  cause — the  cause 
of  ever-advancing,  ever-spreading  de 
mocracy — adherents  and  devotees  of  the 
same  principle  of  human  freedom  and 
equality — a  principle  which,  under  God, 
is  destined  to  turn  and  overturn  until 
humanity  is  redeemed. 

If  it  was  our  high  privilege  to  be  the 
first  to  announce  in  the  immortal  Declara 
tion  of  Independence  the  principle  that 
all  men  are  born  equal,  that  they  are 
endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain 
inalienable  rights,  among  which  are  life, 
liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  it 
was  yours  to  accept,  for  the  first  time  in 
all  human  history,  as  a  rule  of  political 

28 


action,  the  doctrine  of  Liberty,  Equality, 
and  Fraternity  for  all  men. 

By  the  acceptance  of  this  doctrine 
at  the  outbreak  of  your  revolution  you 
converted  what  might  have  been  a  mere 
incident  in  internal  French  politics  into 
an  epoch-making  event  in  world  devel 
opment.  You  made  it  a  turning  point 
in  human  .history — a  passageway  from 
darkness  into  light,  toward  which  all  past 
development  seemed  to  have  been  con 
verging,  and  out  of  which  all  further 
advance  seems  to  have  issued.  On  that 
celebrated  August  night  you  made  an 
irreparable  breach  in  the  walls  of  privi 
lege  and  caste  and  opened  the  way  for  the 
floodtide  of  modern  liberty  and  progress. 
And  from  that  time  to  this,  Sir,  amidst 
storm  and  stress,  in  apathy  and  indif 
ference,  against  selfishness  and  reaction, 
through  bitter  conflict  and  weary  waiting, 
decade  by  decade,  with  never  wearying 
persistence,  our  two  nations  have  ad 
vanced  this  solemn  and  holy  standard, 
calling  all  men  to  flock  to  its  banner,  to 
array  themselves  on  our  side  in  this  great 
struggle  for  equality  of  opportunity  for 
all  human  kind. 

But,  this  is  not  merely  an  occasion 
for  congratulation  on  victory  thus  far 
achieved,  but  an  opportunity  to  pledge 
ourselves  anew  for  the  coming  conflicts. 

29 


We  have  been  up  to  the  time  of  the  Great 
War  in  the  midst  of  a  certain  worldwide 
reaction.  We  heard  doubts  expressed  of 
the  feasibility  and  durability  of  democ 
racy.  Royalty  seemed  to  have  taken  a 
new  lease  of  life;  privilege  and  caste 
were  again  rearing  their  hydra-headed 
forms  in  even  the  freest  countries.  To 
us,  Sir,  in  a  peculiar  way  to  France  and 
America,  is  committed  the  ark  of  the 
covenant.  Ours  should  be  the  task  to 
safeguard  it  and  carry  it  forward  to  its 
final  resting  place  in  the  holy  of  holies — 
the  everlasting,  all-embracing  temple  of 
human  freedom. 

Americans  and  Frenchmen,  wherever 
they  meet,  under  whatever  skies,  on 
whatever  occasions,  should  dedicate  them 
selves  anew  to  the  cause  for  which  their 
fathers  and  brothers  died  decades  ago  and 
are  dying  today.  We  should  take  up  with 
ever  fresh  energy  the  contest  for  the 
realization  of  that  government  for  the 
people,  of  the  people  and  by  the  people 

—which  is  the  only  sure  pledge  of  the 
reign  of  Liberty,  Equality,  and  Fraternity 

—the    reign    of    equal    opportunity,    of 
peace,  and  of  love. 

But,  Sir,  no  American  could  greet  a 
representative  of  the  French  people  with 
out  again  uttering  that  which  perhaps, 
after  all,  needs  no  utterance,  because  it 

30 


is  ever  in  his  heart  and  ever  on  his  tongue 
when  the  name  of  France  is  mentioned. 
No  American  can  ever  forget  that  it  was 
France  which  assured  the  early  and  suc 
cessful  outcome  of  that  opening  struggle 
in  the  long  drama  of  human  freedom, 
which  began  on  the  heights  of  Bunker 
Hill  and  ended  on  the  plains  of  York- 
town.  We  can  never  forget  that  noble 
band  of  generous  Frenchmen  who  laid 
down  their  swords,  their  services  and 
some  of  them,  alas!  their  lives,  upon  the 
altar  of  our  country,  achieving  liberty, 
guaranteeing  our  independence.  How 
deep,  Sir,  this  sense  of  obligation  has  sunk 
into  the  national  heart,  how  it  has  fired 
our  imagination  and  kindled  our  grati 
tude,  is  best  shown  by  the  veneration  in 
which  he  is  held  who  to  us  incorporated 
in  his  own  person  the  services  of  his 
country — the  immortal  LaFayette!  If 
an  American  utters  the  name  of  Wash 
ington  in  admiration  and  love — lo,  the 
name  of  LaFayette  trembles  on  his  lips! 
These  two  names — one  and  indivisible — 
never  to  be  uttered  or  thought  of  apart 
— symbolize  in  their  union  the  deep-felt 
love  and  sympathy  of  this  people  for 
yours,  and  will  carry  down  to  nations  yet 
unborn  the  high  and  holy  tradition  of  the 
time  when,  hand  in  hand,  we  began  that 
struggle  for  human  freedom  which  may 
then,  God  willing,  be  complete. 

31 


In  closing.  Sir,  I  may  be  permitted 
to  voice  again  a  sentiment  which  has 
often  been  expressed  here  before — viz., 
that  the  universities  of  France  and  the 
United  States  may  co-operate  in  ever- 
increasing  measure  to  promote  that 
better  mutual  understanding  which  is  at 
once  the  basis  and  one  of  the  surest 
guaranties  of  international  sympathy  and 
peace.  They  would  seem  to  be  pecu 
liarly  called  to  this  office  by  their  essential 
function.  The  higher  educational  in 
stitutions  of  a  counrty  bring  together  the 
youth  at  the  time  of  most  generous 
emotion,  when  the  youth  are  most  capa 
ble  of  understanding  and  appreciating 
the  character  and  services  of  other  coun 
tries  and  other  races.  France  has  been 
in  a  peculiar  sense  the  schoolmaster  of 
this  country  in  all  that  pertains  to  art  and 
beauty.  It  was  that  we  needed  most, 
and  that  which  France  gave  most  un 
grudgingly.  The  treasures  of  countless 
generations  of  toil  and  effort  were  ours 
without  money  and  without  price — your 
only  reward  being  the  heartfelt  thanks  of 
thousands  of  grateful  students.  Of  late, 
again,  the  universities  have  opened  still 
wider  their  doors,  have  made  it  still  easier 
for  us  to  enter  in  and  reap  where  we  have 
not  sown,  to  gather  where  we  have  not 
scattered.  Is  it  too  much  to  hope,  Sir, 
that  this  new  generosity  may  in  its  turn 

32 


beget  a  new  gratitude  which  will  do  its 
further  part  in  removing  misunder 
standing  and  begetting  mutual  con 
fidence  ? 

But  the  university  in  its  other  great 
function  of  advancing  human  science  is 
especially  called  to  this  high  office  of 
promoting  international  peace  and  unity. 
We  are  standing  face  to  face  with  the 
greatest  problems  that  have  ever  con 
fronted  the  race.  With  the  new  century 
has  begun,  in  a  truer  sense  than  ever 
before,  the  history  of  the  world  as  dis 
tinct  from  the  history  of  a  country,  or  a 
continent,  or  a  civilization.  Whether 
after  the  winning  of  this  war  in  the  new 
era  which  will  open  before  us  the  advance 
is  to  be  steady,  peaceful  and  uninter 
rupted,  or  whether  amidst  the  fierce 
conflict  of  struggling  armies  the  race  is 
again  to  begin  the  weary  task  of  Sisyphus, 
rolling  up  the  ball  of  civilization  only  to 
see  it  slip  back  again  through  the  ranks 
of  warring  and  angry  men,  who  united 
might  have  landed  it  on  high,  far  above 
the  reach  of  danger;  whether,  in  a  word, 
peace  and  good-will  to  men  can  be  made 
the  practical  motto  of  the  race  is  yet  to 
be  determined.  In  this  work  the  uni 
versities  should  have  a  great  part.  The 
university  is  devoted  to  science,  and 
science  is  universal  and  benefits  all  men 

33 


alike.  It  is  devoted  to  philosophy  and 
philosophy  is  universal  and  draws  all  men 
together.  In  the  atmosphere  of  these 
institutions,  in  this  great  republic  of 
letters  and  science,  stretching  through  all 
countries  and  all  climes,  international 
jealousies,  and  suspicions,  and  rivalries, 
and  heart-burnings  should  die  away.  Our 
only  ambition  should  be  to  aid  the  race; 
our  only  rivalry  that  of  generous  service. 
Is  it  too  much  to  hope  that  we  may  thus 
make  a  considerable  contribution  to  the 
better  mutual  understanding  and  appre 
ciation  from  which  peace  and  good-will 
may  flow? 

And  finally,  Sir,  permit  me  to  ex 
press  the  gratification  of  this  institution 
and  of  this  community  for  one  of  the 
great  compensations  of  this  war.  It  has 
already  led  to  a  deeper  and  larger  under 
standing  of  France  and  the  French  people 
in  this  country.  It  has  already  spread 
abroad  a  larger  knowledge  of  the  French 
language,  history,  literature,  institutions 
and  character.  We  who  love  and  admire 
French  genius,  we  who  believe  in  the 
mission  of  France  to  the  modern  world, 
are  convinced  that  others  will  share  our 
love  and  admiration  when  they  share  our 
knowledge.  To  know  her  is  to  admire 
and  to  love.  We  are  happy  to  be  the 
agents  in  this  effort  to  extend  and  deepen 
34 


that  knowledge  which  can  only  increase 
the  hold  France  has  exercised  for  genera 
tions  on  every  other  race  and  country; 
because  a  knowledge  which  will  increase 
pur  respect  for  all  that  is  great  and  good 
in  the  French  people — a  knowledge  which 
will  make  for  peace  and  harmony,  for 
liberty  and  freedom;  because  a  knowledge 
which  will  sweep  away  misunderstandings 
and  prejudice  and  lead  to  an  ever-in 
creasing  appreciation  and  emphasis  of 
the  things  which  bind  us  together! 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen;  permit  me  to 
introduce: 

CAPTAIN  FERNAND  BALDENSPERGER 

of  the 
French  Army,  Professor  in  the  Sorbonne. 

As  the  Guest  of  Honor  rises  to  ac 
knowledge  the  introduction  of  the  President 
of  the  University ',  the  Organ  strikes  up  The 
Marseillaise.  All  the  people  of  the  Con 
vocation  rise  to  their  feet  in  honor  of  France 
and  in  respect  for  the  representative  of  their 
Ally  present.  Down  the  center  aisle  comes 
the  figure  of  France^  dressed  in  blue  and 
wearing  the  red  Liberty  Cap  with  the  cock 
ade  and  carrying  the  Tricolor  of  France. 
America  and  Illinois  come  down  from  the 
dais  to  meet  her.  As  France  comes  up  on 

35 


to  the  platform  America  embraces  her  and 
then  invites  her  to  a  seat  beside  her  on  the 
dais.  America,  France  and  Illinois  go  up 
on  to  the  dais  and  as  The  Marseillaise 
comes  to  an  end  take  their  seats. 

The  Guest  of  Honor,  Captain  Fer- 
nand  Baldensperger  of  the  French  Army, 
Professor  in  the  Sorbonne,  then  deliveres 
his  address. 

LINCOLN  AS  REGARDED  BY  THE 
PEOPLE  OF  FRANCE 

Fellow-citizens     of    Abraham     Lincoln, 
American  friends! 

My  very  first  knowledge  of  Lincoln, 
if  I  remember  well,  was  conveyed  to  me, 
when  I  was  a  boy  of  nine  or  ten,  by  a 
biography  given  as  a  prize-book  for  work 
at  school.  It  was  certainly  the  spirit  of 
adventure  in  the  history  of  your  great 
man,  the  river  and  the  prairie,  rather  than 
the  democratic  spirit  which  pervades  it, 
that  seemed  attractive  to  a  young  French 
man  about  the  year  1880.  And  yet  the 
mere  fact  that  a  primary  school  in  a  pro 
vincial  town  of  France  should  choose  a 
biography  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  suit 
able  reading  matter  for  a  boy's  summer 
holiday  shows  in  its  way  the  real  im- 

36 


CAPTAIN  FERNAND  BALDENSPERGER 


portance  given    to  your  great  country 
man  by  Republican  France. 

The  significance  and,  if  I  may  say  so, 
the  legend  of  Lincoln  have  indeed  been 
connected  from  the  very  beginning  with 
the  hopes  and  the  outlooks  of  democracy 
in  my  country.  When  he  died  in  1865, 
the  Second  Empire  in  France  was  doomed, 
having  still,  however,  an  exterior  appear 
ance  of  strength:  and  part  of  that 
strength  was  due  to  the  fact  that  with  the 
exception  of  Switzerland  there  was  no 
republic  in  Europe, — as  if  Western  de 
mocracies  after  more  or  less  enduring 
attempts  had  given  up  the  ambition  of 
political  self-assertion.  There  was  another 
republic  over  the  sea:  but  your  Federa 
tion,  to  many  observers,  seemed  to  have 
become  a  mere  conglomerate  of  provinces, 
ready  for  dissolution  and  led  astray  from 
the  original  destinies  of  the  United  States. 

It  was  owing  to  Abraham  Lincoln 
that  the  belief,  the  faith  in  a  lasting  de 
mocracy, — even  in  a  democracy  able  to 
wage  war  without  changing  its  char 
acter, — was  kept  alive  in  the  heart  of 
Liberal  France.  And  so  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  if,  directly  after  your  Presi 
dent's  shocking  death,  the  praise  of 
France  reached  its  climax  in  the  Liberal 
circles.  Of  course  the  government  of 

37 


Napoleon  the  Third  worded  officially  to 
Washington,  on  April  28,  its  offi 
cial  sympathy  and  grief;  both  Senate 
and  Chamber  of  Representatives,  through 
their  presidents  and  by  way  of  their 
orders  of  the  day,  expressed  the  same 
general  feeling;  Empress  Eugenie, — at  the 
present  hour  the  only  sovereign  of  those 
remote  times  who  is  still  alive, — sent  a 
message  to  Mrs.  Lincoln.  But  such  offi 
cial  declarations  amount  to  nothing  sub 
stantial,  if  we  think  that  at  the  same 
moment  a  close  confident  of  the 
Napoleonic  court,  Merimee,  wrote  to  a 
friend  that  all  that  "fuss,"  as  he  says, 
showed  merely  that  the  government  was 
afraid  of  America. 

Entirely  different,  genuine  and  en 
thusiastic  and  sincere,  were  the  marks  of 
admiration  and  sympathy  given  by  the 
Liberal  opposition.  The  silk  weavers  of 
Lyons,  those  sturdy  and  independent 
workmen,  cooperated  in  waving  a  re 
membrance  flag  in  honor  of  the  fallen 
President  and  sent  it  to  the  American 
Congress.  I  was  specially  thinking  of 
that  virile  and  poetic  sign  a  few  minutes 
ago,  when  I  saw  my  flag,  the  French 
Tricolor,  coming  up  this  crowded  hall 
and  mingling  its  colors  with  the  Stars 
and  Stripes.  A  golden  medal  was  cast 
on  behalf  of  40,000  small  subscribers 

38 


from  every  corner  of  France,  and  sent 
in  1866  to  Mrs.  Lincoln.  "If  France," 
said  the  address  joined  to  the  gift,  "had 
the  freedom  enjoyed  by  republican 
America,  not  thousands  but  millions 
among  us  would  have  been  counted  as 
admirers  of  Lincoln  and  believers  in  the 
opinions  for  which  he  devoted  his  life  and 
which  his  death  has  consecrated/'  Victor 
Hugo,  the  grand  exile,  Edgar  Quinet, 
Louis  Blanc,  Schoelcher,  Flocon, — all  of 
them  proscribed  for  their  political  faith, — 
Michelet,  Littre,  expressed  their  high 
appreciation  and  eulogy,  as  they  felt  that 
their  cause  was  in  fact  the  cause  of  Lin 
coln's  America.  The  American  Minister 
in  Paris,  Mr.  Bigelow,  transmitting  to  his 
government  other  testimonies  of  the  same 
feeling, — the  address  of  2,000  students  of 
the  College  de  France,  a  note  signed  by 
the  contributors  of  four  Liberal  papers, 
— mentioned  frankly  "how  deep  a  hold 
Abraham  Lincoln  had  taken  upon  the 
respect  and  affections  of  the  French 
people." 

Lincoln,  the  man,  the  self-made  man 
in  the  full  sense  of  the  word,  with  his 
honesty,  his  candor,  his  practical  ideal 
ism,  the  horrible  fatality  which  made  a 
child  of  the  people  meet  the  end  com 
monly  reserved  to  tyrants, — these  fea 
tures  of  your  President  in  life  and  death, 

39 


kept  before  the  eyes  of  the  French  public, 
were  eagerly  accepted  by  our  masses. 
Two  of  the  first  French  biographers  of 
Lincoln  in  fact  had  seen  him  personally. 
Jouault,  who  happened  to  be  in  Wash 
ington  on  the  4th  of  March,  1865rwhen 
the  President  renewed  after  his  reelection 
his  pledge  to  the  Constitution,  described 
that  "strange  man/'  clumsy,  meagre, 
careless  in  his  appearance  but  with  his 
magnificent  black  eyes,  out  of  which 
streamed  the  love  of  humanity.  Laugel 
had  visited  Lincoln  in  the  White  House 
and  spent  an  evening  with  him  in  the 
presidential  box  in  the  same  Ford  Theatre 
which  was  to  be  the  scene  of  his  death; 
and  he  was  specially  struck  by  the  kind 
voice  and  the  everready  sensitiveness 
contrasting  in  the  great  man  with  all  the 
signs  of  a  powerful  and  concentrated  will. 

So  you  see  that  Lincoln's  personality 
was  not  at  all  a  mere  phantom  for  France, 
when  the  French  Academy  in  1867  pro 
posed  as  the  subject  of  a  prize  poem  The 
Death  of  President  Lincoln.  A  young 
friend  of  Lamartine,  Edouard  Grenier, 
was  the  winner  of  the  prize.  And  indeed 
we  feel  that  Lamartine  himself,  our  great 
practical  idealist  of  1848,  the  poet  who 
then  prevented  our  democratic  Revolu 
tion  from  splintering,  would  have  been 
the  best  possible  singer  of  your  great 
leader. 

40 


SONS  OF  FRANCE  AND  ILLINOIS 


Since  the  days  when  the  pathos  of  a 
tragic  death  was  added  to  the  significance 
of  Lincoln's  personality,  his  memory  in 
France  has  remained  what  the  clearest 
minds  of  1865  had  foreseen,  "the  austere 
and  sacred  personification  of  a  great 
epoch,  the  truest  expression  of  democ 
racy."  In  the  words  of  Henri  Martin, 
the  historian,  "Lincoln's  ability  to  steer 
a  great  Republic  through  a  crisis  without 
reverting  to  laws  of  exception,"  showed 
forever  the  possibility  of  a  really  efficient, 
even  a  war-making  democracy.  And  if 
France  has  been  able,  as  you  mentioned 
it  so  beautifully,  to  play  her  part  in  the 
great  struggle  for  civilization,  it  is  partly 
because  her  generous  mind  had  been 
thrilled  to  new  energies  by  a  fate  which 
had  its  cradle  in  the  heart  of  your  country. 

For  the  significance  of  Lincoln  for 
France  has  not  vanished  in  more  recent 
days.  We  know  the  verses  by  which  an 
American  poet  celebrated  "his  Captain." 
It  was  a  French  medallist,  Roine,  who 
made  the  Lincoln  Centennial  Medal. 
And  Ambassador  Jusserand,  when  he 
brought  France's  greeting  to  Springfield 
in  1909,  gave  a  new  testimony  to  the  old 
feeling,  when  he  showed  that  the  belief 
in  an  unsplintered  American  Union  had 
been  a  part  of  that  democratic  faith 
which,  by  and  by,  was  bringing  my 

41 


country  so  very  close  to  yours  that  they 
are  sure  now  to  walk  hand  in  hand  to 
wards  their  new  destinies. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Addresses^ 
the  people  of  the  Convocation  sing  the  Illi 
nois  song, 

ON  FOREVER,  ILLINOIS! 

Illinois!     Above  the  prairie 

High  thine  eagle  wings  his  flight, 
Watching,  vigilant  and  wary, 

Over  human  toil  and  right! 
Eagle-pinioned,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 
Through  the  storm  sweep  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 

Illinois!    The  times  are  calling 

Souls  that  fear  no  sacrifice! 
Men  for  Liberty  are  falling; 

Will  your  sons  refuse  the  price? 
Scorning  danger,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 
On  through  death!    On,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 

Illinois!     Thy  meed  of  glory 

That  all  men,  till  years  are  dust, 
Shall  thy  sons,  high  famed  in  story, 

Silent,  heaven-borne  eagles  trust! 
On  through  death!    On,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 
Eagle-pinioned,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 

42 


The  Benediction  is  then  pronounced 
by  the  President  of  the  University. 

PRESIDENT: 

Now  may  He  who  breathes  the 
breath  of  life  into  all  men  breathe  His 
Spirit  into  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  into 
the  United  States  of  America,  and  into 
All  the  Peoples  of  the  Earth,  inspiring 
them  to  do  His  Holy  Will  under  the  per 
fect  Law  of  Liberty.  Amen. 

All  then  join  in  singing  two  stanzas  of 

AMERICA 

My  Country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  Land  of  Liberty, 

Of  thee  I  sing! 
Land  where  my  fathers  died, 
Land  of  the  Pilgrims'  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  Freedom  ring! 

Our  fathers'  God,  to  Thee, 
Author  of  Liberty, 

To  Thee  we  sing: 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With  Freedom's  holy  light; 
Protect  us  by  Thy  might, 

Great  God,  our  King! 
43 


To  the  Lincoln  Music,  now  played  as 
a  Recessional  March,  the  President  of  the 
University,  the  Guest  of  Honor,  the  Deans 
of  the  University,  and  the  Committees  de 
scend  from  the  platform  in  procession  and 
go  out  by  the  center  aisle,  followed  by 
America,  France,  and  Illinois,  attended  by 
the  escort  of  University  Cadets. 


NOTE — The  Address  of  Abraham  Lincoln  herein 
presented  is  a  compilation  from  Lincoln's  writings.  Noth 
ing  has  been  written  in  to  adapt  what  he  said  to  the  present 
purpose.  The  only  change  is  in  the  last  paragraph,  taken 
from  the  Springfield  Farewell,  in  which  the  pronoun  "I" 
has  been  changed  to  "we."  The  passages  used  are,  in 
order,  from 

Letter  to  J.  T.  Mills,  1864; 

Special  Session  Message  to  Congress,  1861; 

Second  Annual  Message  to  Congress,  1862; 

Proclamation  for  Day  of  Prayer,  1863; 

The  Gettysburg  Address,  1863; 

Special  Session  Message,  1861; 

Cooper  Union  Address,  1860; 

Second  Inaugural  Address,  1865; 

The  Springfield  Farewell,  1861.  W.  C.  L. 

44 


ON  FOREVER,   ILLINOIS! 


Words  by  W.  C.  Langdon 


Music  by  J.  Lawrence  Erb 


'U   3  J 


Ill-i-nois!  A-bove  the  prai-rie  High  thine  ea-gle  wingtfhis  flight, 


fff'fiffjf  fiPpf[|fy,i 


Watch-ing,  vlg-i-lant  and  wa  -  ry,  0  -ver  nunran  toil  and  right! 


£3¥ 


p^f 


Ea-gle  pin-ioned,  on  with  Joy!  On  for-ev-er,  111  -  i  -  nois! 


fe£E£ 


Through  the,  storm  sweep  on  with  '    JoyT 


£ 


WM 


i 


1 


for  -  ev.  -ier,  (Ill-i-  nois! 


(Copyright,  1918,  by  W.  C.  Langdon  and  J.  L.  Erb) 

Illinois!     The  times  are  calling 

Souls  that  fear  no  sacrifice! 
Men  for  Liberty  are  falling; 

Will  your  sons  refuse  the  price? 
Scorning  danger,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 
On  through  death!     On,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 

Illinois!     Thy  meed  of  glory 

That  all  men,  till  years  are  dust, 
Shall  thy  sons,  high  famed  in  story, 

Silent,  heaven-borne  eagles,  trust! 
On  through  death!     On,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 
Eagle-pinioned,  on  with  joy! 

On  forever,  Illinois! 

45 


THE  LINCOLN  DAY  CONVOCATION 

FOR  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

was  presented  in  the  Auditorium ,  February 
12,  1918,  by  the  Committee  on  Con 
vocations  and  under  the  auspices 
of  the    University  War 
Committee. 

THE  PERSONS  IN  THE  CONVOCATION 

THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLI 
NOIS 

THE    GUEST    OF    HONOR,    CAPTAIN    FERNAND 
BALDENSPERGER  OF  THE  FRENCH  ARMY 

THE  DEANS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
THE  UNIVERSITY  WAR  COMMITTEE 
THE  UNIVERSITY  COMMANDANT 

THE  COMMANDANT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
SCHOOL  OF  MILITARY  AERONAUTICS 

THE  LINCOLN  DAY  COMMITTEE 

THE  FACULTIES  AND  STUDENTS  OF  THE  UNI- 
VERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AMERICA Mildred  V.  Strong 

ILLINOIS Lucille  Peirson 

46 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN       .     .     .     Kenneth  McKenzie 
FRANCE       Lois  M.Scott 

THE  MUSIC  FOR  THE  CONVOCATION  under  the 
direction  of  J.  Lawrence  Erb,  F.A.G.O.  The  Lincoln 
Music  and  the  song,  On  Forever,  Illinois!  were  coni- 
posed  by  him. 

THE  COSTUMES  of  America  and  Illinois  were  designed 
by  Mrs.  William  Chauncy  Langdon. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  WAR  COMMITTEE:  David  Kin- 
ley,  Chairman;  Eugene  Davenport,  Stephen  Alfred 
Forbes,  Frederick  Haynes  Newell,  Stuart  Pratt 
Sherman,  Charles  Alton  Ellis,  Charles  Manfred 
Thompson. 

THE  COMMITTEE  ON  LINCOLN  DAY  CONVOCA 
TION:  Daniel  Kilham  Dodge,  Chairman;  Ernest 
Bernbaum,  Harry  Franklin  Harrington,  William 
Chauncy  Langdon,  Rex  R.  Thompson. 


47 


M310584 


